French prince who fought Zulus ‘like a lion’ remembered

01 June 2015 - 15:55 By Dominic Skelton

On this day 136 years ago‚ a bellicose dynasty ended when the blood of a prince was spilled on foreign soil by a horde of warriors defending their homeland. The death prompted rumours of betrayal across the sea‚ and that an evil queen had masterminded the plot to nullify the bloodline.This is not the plot of a new Game of Thrones instalment.In fact‚ it happened near the small KwaZulu-Natal town of Dundee and the slain French prince‚ the last in line to succeed Napoleon Bonaparte‚ was killed by a Zulu impi defending King Cetshwayo.The Prince Imperial‚ son of Napoleon III‚ was an eager young soldier who pleaded with Queen Victoria to join the fight in South Africa against the Zulu empire after becoming a military officer in England. He was allowed to travel to Africa as a “special observer” but his thirst for adventure led to his demise.On the fateful day in 1879‚ the 23-year-old Louis Napoleon was impatient to begin his reconnaissance mission in order to map Zululand‚ but left part of his entourage behind. The small group stopped for water and were pounced on by 40 Zulus‚ some armed with rifles won at Isandlwana. The Englishmen turned tail and the prince‚ unable to mount his rearing horse‚ was left with a pistol and broken sword to defend himself.Unable to outrun the impi‚ he turned to face them. He was stabbed 18 times with Zulu assegaais. The warriors said that he fought like a lion and his death certificate confirmed the wounds were on the front of his body only.The francophiles of Dundee still celebrate the prince every year at the site of his death. This year‚ I joined them to pay my own respects by playing a lament on the bagpipes while wreaths were laid on the grave.French consul Raymond Quereilhac‚ who joined the remembrance ceremony this year‚ thanked the community for respecting and preserving French history.Xavier Maillart‚ a descendant of the Prince's valet‚ came from Paris to join the event. He laid a wreath for a Zulu guide who accompanied the prince‚ who was killed by the Zulus in the same attack.The local Zulu people‚ who turned out for the ceremony on Sunday‚ have also benefited from the memorial site.Glenn Flanagan‚ project initiator of La Route du Prince Imperial‚ wanted to use the grave to help the local school.She approached the National Lottery who gave R119,000 to build four classrooms at the uQweqwe Secondary School in the name of the prince. The school's soccer team‚ who had new uniforms made‚ is even called Napoleon City...

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